The differences between the modes are as follows: The game debuted at Japan's Amusement Machine Operators (AOU) show in February 1993,[3] and released in North America on August 12, 1993.

Namco designer Masanori Kato and producer Kazumi Mizuno were commissioned by company executives to create a home port of the arcade game Air Combat for the then-new PlayStation console.

[17] Problems arose early in development for the home port, as staff did not believe the PlayStation's hardware was powerful enough to properly render the arcade version's gameplay.

[17] At the time, Namco primarily focused on developing ports of arcade games like Ridge Racer and Cyber Sled, which often contained content exclusive to their PlayStation releases.

[17][18] The project planner, Asahi Higashiyama, believed the PlayStation's superior hardware could allow for more potential in the game and allow room for expansion.